Seattle-based startup Emphere has secured $2.1 million in pre-seed funding, announced on Thursday, to enhance the automation of fixing software security flaws. This initiative specifically targets open-source distributions such as Ubuntu, Debian, and Alpine, catering to software companies that provide services to banks and other heavily regulated sectors.
Founded by CEO Ankit Kumar and CTO Pallav Gupta, the startup aims to shift the focus from merely detecting vulnerabilities to effectively remediating them. Kumar emphasized the growing urgency of remediation, given the rapid pace of exploitation. Emphere has already begun generating early revenue and has signed several customers, though their identities remain confidential.
With a team of five, including two security researchers, Emphere tests its patched images by simulating hacker attacks to ensure the integrity of its fixes. While the security market is saturated with companies that primarily identify vulnerabilities, Emphere distinguishes itself by patching existing software rather than requiring customers to switch to new container images, as seen with competitors like Chainguard.
The need for such solutions is underscored by a recent report indicating that the National Vulnerability Database has over 27,000 unprocessed flaws, with projections suggesting new vulnerabilities could exceed 60,000 by 2026, marking a significant increase from previous years.